Green lilies ∗ The 10 best care tips

Care tips

The agenda for proper green lily care includes these points:

Bright location with mild morning or evening sun
Normal room temperatures with temperatures above 10 degrees Celsius
Water moderately with lime-free water, without waterlogging
Apply diluted liquid fertilizer every 2-3 weeks from April to October

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The houseplant does not go into hibernation in the real sense. Nevertheless, the need for irrigation water is reduced from November to March. Since there is hardly any growth, the green lily does not receive any fertilizer during this time.

Which location is suitable?

The more intensive the photosynthesis, the more splendid the ornamental foliage develops. You should therefore assign a green lily to a sunny location, with shade from the blazing midday sun. We recommend supplementary lighting in the dark in the corners of the room during winter. In addition, the ideal location should be:

Normal room temperatures, not below 10 degrees Celsius
The highest possible humidity of more than 50 percent

Cut the green lilies correctly

A regular pruning is not part of the regular care program for a green lily. Regardless of this, the houseplant is extremely pruning. Cutting is therefore an easy option in these cases:

Reducing the size and girth
Gaining offshoots
Cut out dead flowers
Removal of seed heads

Completely withered leaves are better plucked rather than cut off. A cut always leaves a small piece of leaf on the plant, which creates the risk of rot.

Water the green lilies

Overall, the water requirement of a green lily is at a medium level. During the main growing season, the green plant will thrive if it is kept constantly moist. The growth rests from November to March, so that the need for watering is reduced accordingly. Ideally, use collected rainwater or stale tap water, as the green lily prefers a slightly acidic soil.

Fertilize green lilies properly

In order to produce the decorative ornamental leaves, the green lily cannot do without additional nutrients. So fertilize every 2-3 weeks from April to October with a liquid fertilizer for green plants. The dosage depends on the size, the site conditions and the rate of growth. Most of the time, no fertilizer is required during winter. Apply some fertilizer every 4 weeks from October to March only in warm locations with appropriate growth.

If a cat is within range of a green lily, we recommend using organic fertilizers such as liquid compost, horn meal or worm tea.

Propagate green lilies

Wherever the green lily spreads a good mood as a solitary, the desire for more specimens grows. You can choose from the following methods for propagation:

Division of the root ball
Cut off rooted children and plant
Treat offshoots like sinkers and let them take root

Do not cut the root ball with a knife. Ideally, you pull the potted green lily apart with your hands so that only marginal injuries to the roots occur.

Repot

If it becomes too tight for a green lily in the bucket, it should be repotted in spring. Follow these steps:

Use potsherds or gravel to create a drainage over the bottom opening in the new pot
Fill in the substrate up to halfway through so that you can use your fist to make a depression
Pot the green lily, shake off the used soil and plant in the middle
Do not use any deeper than before

Are green lilies poisonous?

A green lily does not pose any health risk. The houseplant is therefore one of the favorites for a harmless interior greening. This applies equally to humans and animals.

Brown leaves

If brown leaves develop on a green lily, this is primarily no cause for concern. Nevertheless, the cause should be found out and rectified. The most common triggers at a glance:

Ball dryness
Full midday sun
Sudden change of location

Too little humidity also causes brown leaves. You should therefore spray the green lily every few days with lime-free water or place a humidifier in the room.

Yellow leaves

The green lily expresses its displeasure with yellow leaves when it suffers a deficiency due to neglect in care. The yellow color indicates that the plant lacks iron. The damage known as leaf chlorosis occurs when irrigation water that is too calcareous is used. Even though the fertilizer contains enough iron, this nutrient is bound by too much lime and does not find its way into the ornamental leaves. You should therefore switch the water supply to collected rainwater or decalcified tap water.

Another cause of yellow leaves is a location that is too dark, which impairs the vital chlorophyll production in the leaves. Last but not least, pest infestation comes into consideration. When cunning lice or thrips of a green lily suck out the sap, the leaves turn yellow.

Why does the green lily get brown tips?

Brown tips are a common damage to green lilies. In this way, the plant reacts when its leaves permanently hit a substrate. It is therefore best to cultivate the green plant in a traffic light or on a flower stand so that the long shoots can dangle.

If you are bothered by the brown tips, they can be cut off with disinfected scissors. Do not cut into the green, but leave a tiny piece of the discolored tissue of 1-2 millimeters on the leaf.

Is the green lily poisonous to cats?

The green lily is at the top of the hit list for cats when it comes to nibble plants. That's a good thing, because it does not contain any toxins and functions similarly to classic cat grass. Only the seed pods should not get into Kitty's stomach, as they could cause nausea. Therefore cut out the withered flowers from a green lily immediately.

The green lily as a houseplant

In the ranking of the most popular indoor plants, the green lily has been at the top of the list for decades. That is hardly surprising, given their modest modesty and their distinctive appearance. The green lily owes its middle name, official grass, to the fact that it not only filters out toxins from the air in the office, but also tolerates a weekend without any care.

The green lily also acts as a lush ornament on the summer balcony, as long as it is not confronted with blazing midday sun and given in time in autumn. For followers of the Feng Shui theory of harmony, the graceful ornamental leaf plant serves as a power whisk, which replaces used life energy.

Grow the green lily as a hydroponics

The green lily is a prime example of a hydroponic indoor plant. However, you should decide on this variant in advance, because even the frugal green lily can rarely handle a change from earth roots to water roots.

In order to dare to experiment with water culture, beginners can use Kindeln. Simply place in the hydroponic pot and start with a slightly higher water level. While the roots are sprouting, the water level can be lowered to normal.

The green lily cleans the air

Followers of the Feng Shui philosophy have long known: The green lily contributes to air purification in rooms. Therefore, it is not only often found in living rooms, but also adorns offices and work spaces. The African ornamental foliage plant not only improves the appearance of the room climate, but also filters toxins from the air we breathe.

Propagate green lily by cuttings

Hardly any other plant provides offshoots as generously as the green lily. Clever hobby gardeners therefore buy a maximum of one plant and grow additional specimens with the help of the Kindel. A proven procedure goes like this:

Cut off rooted daughter plants with 5 cm long leaves
Defoliate offshoots in the lower third
Plant in a pot with loose potting soil and keep it constantly moist

You are on the safe side if you leave the connection between offshoot and mother plant in place for the time being. Place the nursery pot in the immediate vicinity and treat the daughter plants like a sinker. The separation only takes place when the child has developed well.

The seeds of the green lily

Some time after flowering, the green lily forms small capsule fruits in which 2-3 millimeter large, black seeds develop. If it is a uni-green wild species, you can try sowing it. With variegated hybrids, however, hops and malt are lost if you want to grow new plants from the seeds.

Is the green lily hardy?

The green lily is native to South Africa. As a result, it is not hardy and is considered an ideal indoor plant. There is nothing wrong with placing the ornamental foliage plant on the balcony in summer, because it develops particularly lush outdoors. If the temperatures drop below 10 degrees, the green lily moves into the house.

The green lily species

The green lily (Chlorophytum comosum) is the only species of its genus that has established itself as an indoor plant in our latitudes. This is a little surprising, since there are a number of potential candidates for the window sill at home among the more than 100 other species. After all, you have the choice among distinctive green lily varieties that come up with decoratively drawn leaves. The Mandaianum variety, for example, impresses with its yellow central stripes on dark green foliage.

The most beautiful varieties

Variegatum: a splendid variety with white-edged, lively green leaves up to 40 centimeters long
Vittatum: impresses with its lanceolate leaves adorned with a white or cream-colored central stripe
Picturatum: highlights its long decorative leaves with a yellow central stripe
Bonnie: romantically crinkled foliage makes this strain stand out from the crowd
Ocean: a creative strain with light green foliage and a white border